


Emily & the Outsider

by ChubbiPrincesse



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Emsider - Relationship - Freeform, F/M, I'm no writer, Mostly cheesy stuff, Not Canon Compliant, Quotes are what give this story life, emsider
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 06:15:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13541457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbiPrincesse/pseuds/ChubbiPrincesse
Summary: “So what are you prepared to do about it, your imperial majesty? How many of your own subjects are you willing to slaughter? And what are you willing to become?”She couldn’t stop herself before she realized what she was saying, “I will do whatever I have to, to save you.”His intolerable pacing began again, like clockwork.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! This is my very first story on this site and I am excited to share it with you! It is in very early works, and I am sure I will be adding much more depth to it later. I have not read much of the lore of Dishonored, but I do love the games immensely. This story is non-canon as Emily Kaldwin meets the Outsider after defeating Delilah. Without further ado, please enjoy!

Emily’s body jerked itself awake from a never ending sensation of falling. As she sat up, her head felt more tired than before she had fallen asleep. A feeling of emptiness sat in the pit of her chest, her fingers frozen to the bone. She had never experienced a feeling like this. Was she even still in her own room? Her own bed?

She pushed the blankets off of her, making her way to her room door. It got colder the further she moved away from her bed and goosebumps rose on her skin. She turned the knob, but it was jammed, no matter how much force she put into it. 

She knocked, calling out for whoever should have been standing guard. There was no answer. She turned back around, shocked to find a transformation along the back wall of her room. A quarry had appeared leading to the outside. She was still dreaming. Pinching the back of her hand, she managed to make herself flinch from the pain. The mist was drifting into the room ever so slowly.

Her fingers trembled as she approached the aperture in the wall. A shiver ran down her spine as she stepped out onto the rock fixture that lead into the hole. Everything around her was just an abyss: underneath her, above her, surrounded by fog. Turning back, the opening to her room was now gone. To continue forward she had to climb up the rock pathway. Even the rock felt like ice to her frigid fingers. 

There was nowhere else to go after she pushed her body to the top. The path she had just walked was gone. She wrapped her arms closer to her body, now frozen to the core. She began to spin in circles until she was dizzy, lost, as she stared out into nothing. The only thing in sight was the foundation she stood on. Her brain was hyperventilating but her lungs seemed to be still. 

Was she dead?

She turned around again, this time to find a man standing in front of her. Her hands met the ice once more, catching herself as she fell backwards.

“Who are you?” She asked.

The man, whose eyes were completely black, smirked in a way that seemed almost sinister.

“Empress Emily Kaldwin. I'm a friend of your father's from the bad old days. I never expected us to meet. I watched your mother die at the hands of schemers who wanted your little empire. Then you were rescued by a killer in a strange mask. I thought that was the end of the excitement. And then you, I watched you come to the rescue of your father and your city from the reign of Delilah.”

His vague answer told Emily nothing. “Where am I?”

“I’ve brought you into the Void.”

“You're the outsider…” She whispered, not even believing in the words that had just passed her lips.

“There are things that never change, no matter how hard you try. As Megan Foster faded from the world, Billie Lurk stepped from her shadow, setting out to discover her truest self and seeking out the closest thing she'd ever known to family. Do you know who that might be Empress?”

She stared at him, with no response leaving her throat.

“Billie Lurk may have tricked you into thinking she was an ally. I know the truth though. I watched that fateful day as Billie and Daud took the life of an Empress with their own hands. They still tell themselves it wasn’t a choice.”

“You're lying…” 

“Billie has returned to Karnaca. She's seeking out Daud who's gotten himself into a very unforgiving situation. A gang called the Eyeless are knocking on death’s door and Billie Lurk is about to turn the key to unlock it. What will happen when Daud walks the streets once more, with an ally whose tongue is about to get its first taste of revenge? The assassin of an Empress will go free. I'm quite interested in seeing what you will do, Emily.”

“You're lying!” She yelled again. Only this time she was back in her bed, sitting up once more.

Maya, who had always brought water for when she woke, stared at her wide eyed from across the room.

“I'm sorry… I had a nightmare.” Emily told her, her lungs feelings as if they were finally released from the grip of the Void. Or rather, her interpretation of it. 

“Maya.” Emily spoke, stopping her before she left.

“Yes, Lady Emily?” She straightened out the white frilly apron around her waist.

“Do you know anything about a gang called the Eyeless?” She inquired.

The puzzled look that came across her face gave her the answer, “Isn't this something a guard would know?”

“You're right, but the guards refuse to tell me anything. They like to act as if they have the gangs under control because if they don’t it becomes their problem. Plus they're always on a rant about how I have nothing to worry about. They should know better, since I've lived through two attempts of vanquishing Empresses.”

Maya laughed despite the irony, making Emily smile in return. “You're quite right about that my Empress.” She pondered off for a moment before continuing, “I could always ask my dad down at the brewery. People are always talking up a storm there.”

She gave her a thankful smile, “Thanks Maya. And I really am sorry for scaring you.”

As Maya closed the bedroom door behind her, the reality of what the Outsider said to Emily began to sink in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A cold breeze ran across the back of her neck. 
> 
> At second thought, it wasn’t a breeze. It was the shallow breathing from someone.

She sat in her study late the next night. A sense of dread falling over her every time her mind wandered to sleep. Yet, the yawns were beginning to multiply by the minute. Staring down at her journal, the words were becoming fuzzy. She rubbed her tired eyes, shutting her journal and storing it away in the drawer it had found a home in. 

Her hands stopped before she closed the drawer. Reaching in, she pulled out the scarf that her journal always rested on. The fabric felt foreign to her now, as she ran her fingertips over the eccentric gold design. Flashbacks of Delilah Copperspoon and her sect of witches ran Emily’s blood cold. The image of her father turned into nothing more than just a statue at the hand of a witch would be forever burned into the back of her mind. She would do it all over again for Corvo.

Her thoughts wandered to the woman who she had once called a friend and if she was out to find Daud. What was their endgame? What could they possibly have planned? Her knuckles were white with the scarf in grip. She threw it back in the drawer, slamming it shut as she relaxed her hands, taking a few deep breaths. 

A slug compared to her usual self, she made her way to her bedroom. Her anxious thoughts of making eye contact with the Outsider again weren’t strong enough to keep her awake any longer. Her eyes fell shut against their will. 

-

She awoke to warm hands on her own. A soft voice met her ears, “Lady Emily.” She blinked a few times, focusing on the face in front of her. The worry that sat between her brow forced her up straight.

“What’s wrong Maya?” She grabbed her hands. 

“The Eyeless…” She started off quietly, not making eye contact, “They’re not just a gang Emily. They’re aiding a cult.” 

“A cult?” Emily asked as if she hadn’t heard her the first time. All Maya did was nod. 

Emily’s frown now mirrored hers, filled with worry and uncertainty. “Do you know what kind of a cult?” 

Maya stayed silent, burning a hole through the ground next to the bed. 

“Maya.” Emily stammered, making her jump slightly.

“Void worshippers. Lady Emily, my father told me to forget I had ever heard anything about them. Who ever they are, whatever they’re doing, it even has my father nervous. He’s always told me to never get involved even with the knowledge of that sort. Forgive me Lady Emily, that’s all I can tell you.”

Emily nodded, letting her hands go. 

Her daily duties were distracted by the endless thoughts of the Eyeless and what the Outsider intentions of contacting her were. She considered consulting Corvo, wondering what he might think of all this. If the Outsider was telling the truth about her father, Corvo would know what to do. If the Outsider was just in her imagination, then Corvo would think she was losing her mind. 

“Empress?” The last guard who stood next to her throne snapped her out of her brooding. “Shall we head to your study? The doors are locked to all guests for the night.”

She replied, “Yes, sorry. Let’s go.” 

She made her way through the tower, noting it sounded quieter than normal. “What time is it, sir?” She asked as they stopped at the door to her study.

“Almost eleven, Empress.” The thought boggled her mind, how lost she had gotten in her own reality.

“Thank you for keeping my company.” She gave him a half smile before closing herself into the study. 

Too tired to write, Emily sat in the desk chair rubbing her temples. She untangled her hair from its poise and tightly pinned updo. She grabbed the brush from the top drawer of the desk, removing any knots and letting her hair do its unruly routine as it sat on her shoulders. She gazed out through the open window for just a moment.

Standing back up, she stretched her legs around the study, removing her confining jacket and throwing it onto the loveseat behind the desk. She untucked her shirt, undoing a few buttons as she walked over to cabinet that already had a set of glasses out for a drink. 

Just pouring the red substance calmed her shot nerves. She closed her eyes as she took the first sip, feeling warmer already. Taking a bigger gulp, she tapped her finger against the glass as the liquid flowed down her throat. A cold breeze ran across the back of her neck. 

At second thought, it wasn’t a breeze. It was the shallow breathing from someone. 

Spinning faster than she thought humanly possible, she was met with the empty eyes of the Outsider. 

“Relaxing, are we Emily?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”I’m just wondering if the Empress would overlook something so easily again after letting the Crown Killer walk the streets for so long.”

Her body froze. Only jumping when the glass shattered on the floor next to her feet. It wasn’t even seconds before a knock came to the door. 

“Is everything alright in there Lady Emily?” The guard asked. 

She gulped, somehow managing a calm reply, “Everything is fine. I just um… dropped a glass.”

The Outsider’s eyes held her in place as he stared down at her. “What do you want from me?” She seethed.

“Do you need any help in there?” The guard called again.

“No!” Emily shouted, remaining still. Stuck between the cabinet and the immortal. 

“Young Lady Emily is still depending on her doting father to deal with the problems of the Empire. Billie Lurk is about to release the beast and the Empress Emily Kaldwin is drinking some fine wine toasting to the eve of innocent lives lost.” The Outsider began pacing in front of her. 

“The path they are about to pave will change the world forever. For better or worse, the people of Karnaca will get hurt. I’m just wondering if the Empress would overlook something so easily again after letting the Crown Killer walk the streets for so long.”

His superficial answers were about to make her head explode. 

“The Eyeless are working for you. What makes you think I would stop whatever Billie and Daud have planned for them? You are the beast of this land! You and your cult are the sinister secret walking among this city. If Billie is walking the underbelly of the monster, so be it!” She spat at him. Her blood boiled. 

The Outsider’s face turned angry for a split second. He then turned his back to her, before disappearing into thin dust. Her breathing was heavy, as she continued to stare to see if he was going to return. After her heartbeat returned to normal, she used the cabinet behind her as support. She relaxed her limbs, looking down at her hands she could see blood underneath her fingernails. The crescents she had dug into her own palm dripped blood between each finger. 

Swiftly she opened her study door to the guard standing in front of it. “Would you mind getting a maid to pick up the broken glass? I need to wash up.” She practically ran to the washroom, slamming the door shut behind her. She ran her broken skin under the cold faucet, watching as the blood and water mixed and swirled around the drain. She splashed some water on her face before drying her hands. Rubbing the towel against her face, more questions began to flood her mind. 

“Empress.” She was met with the concerned eyes of the guard who waited outside. “The maids are cleaning your study, shall we return?” 

“I’m heading to bed.” She told him promptly, rushing to her room. 

“Good evening, Lady Emily,” he said, before closing her room door behind her. Leaving her alone with her confused thoughts once more.

She sat in bed, fidgeting with the seam of one of her blankets. It just didn’t make sense. Why would the Outsider give her the name of the Eyeless, providing information to bring an end to his strange cult. What were Billie and Daud actually doing? She couldn’t just run off and observe their every move. 

She regretted even telling Maya. This is how rumors begin. Rumors lead to worry of the common folk. Worry brings untrust to a government and all they do to keep the people safe. She burrowed deeper into her covers, trying to get her mind blank so she could get some rest. 

Exhaust finally took a hold of her as her mind went barren, if only for a moment.


End file.
